About Me

I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer Amir Shah, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 34 mins ago http://tiny.cc/lmjezKABUL, Afghanistan – Five NATO service members died Tuesday from fighting in the south and east of Afghanistan, officials said, as Taliban militants ramp up attacks on Afghan and international security forces. Authorities also said that 12 Afghan police officers and six civilians have died in attacks and bombings since early Monday.The Taliban have declared a summer offensive against NATO forces and those allied with the coalition or the Afghan government, while the military alliance is preparing a major operation to quell militants in the Taliban heartland of southern Kandahar province.

Both NATO troops and Afghan security forces have been suffering heavier casualties in recent weeks. Including the latest deaths, 44 international service members have been killed so far this month, 27 of them American, nine British.

General David Petraeus was in the middle of answering a question from Sen. John McCain when he collapsed during a Senate hearing on Afghanistan.Officials at the Pentagon said Gen. Petraeus was suffering from dehydration. This is exclusive video of what transpired.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/KCvVdfeH05Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

MSNBC's war correspondent, Richard Engle, is the best there is at covering the war.FOX NEWS and CNN give only a passing mention of the Afghanistan war.In this video, Engle is embedded with the 82nd Airborne who come under fire after returning from a memorial ceremony for one of their own. The fighting is ferocious and in our opinion is the type of news the should be shown to Americans on TV on a nightly basis rather than the silly back-biting Fox News has the audacity to call news.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37696022#37696022